A Stitch In Time Saves Money

Automation and compatibility with digital printing equipment have revolutionized stitching equipment, making operator involvement almost obsolete.

"Automation, automation, automation," declares Rick Trapilo, general manager and executive vice president of C.P. Bourg. This, he says, is the primary trend typifying today's stitching equipment.

Since operator skill levels vary greatly, Trapilo says, stitching equipment companies are making significant changes to reduce operator involvement.

"Threading a stitch head could be difficult for some operators," Trapilo explains. "We're virtually taking that setup issue out of the equation for an in-plant manager." Some automated features now include self-loading, self-threading and operator warning systems in the event of a problem, he says.

Paul Steinke, product manager for finishing systems at Duplo USA, agrees that the trend is towards automation, but warns that some systems that are called automated still require a certain amount of operator involvement.

Making stitching equipment compatible with digital equipment is also a concern for vendors, and many companies are now providing digital compatibility. When planning to use a stitcher with digital equipment, Steinke advises, consumers should check the design of the paper control mechanism.

"Particularly with output coming from electronic printing devices, the static content is higher and the paper is drier, so paper handling in the machine is very important," Steinke says.

Another point to consider, he adds, is how much volume your in-plant will be sending to the stitcher.

"When you are talking about the higher-volume equipment, the number-one thing that should be looked at is the type of stitch head that's being utilized," says Steinke. "Probably one of the most susceptible maintenance parts of the system is the stitch head."

Steinke says saddle stitching and booklet making are becoming more popular techniques due to advances in other printing areas.

"Prepress capabilities have increased drastically, enabling easier two-up printing, as well as a dramatic cost reduction in paper," he says. "Saddle stitching and booklet making is the least expensive overall process to accomplish."

The new Bourg Document Finisher (BDF) from C.P. Bourg, is a self-contained, automated finishing system capable of performing three operations. It allows operators to stitch, fold and trim with the flexibility of right, center or left registration and adaptable feeding and delivery heights. The BDF can be docked to Bourg Suction Tower collators and many types of laser copiers and digital printers.

Duplo's new DBM-250 stitcher/folder is a combination of technological advancement and user-friendly operation. Featuring speeds of up to 3,600 sets per hour, the DBM-250 offers push-button setup and changeover. With automation, the quality of the booklet is no longer dependent upon a highly trained operator. Other features include Hohner stitching heads, eight programmable memory settings and six folder rollers. This high-speed stitcher/folder can be used as a stand-alone unit, or as an in-line accessory with a collator, printer or set feeder.

The Fenimore-Vijuk 920 Sidewinder collates flat sheets, then stitches, folds and trims them into booklets at speeds of up to 5,200 per hour. Reversed, it collates flat sheets, signatures or tabs for perfect binding or other purposes. It includes missing and double sheet detection and optional selective sheet count for each pocket. A front vertical stack and rear feeder allow for continuous loading.

The Heidelberg/Stahl ST 90 saddle stitcher is designed especially for small and medium run lengths with frequent format changes. The setup time for switching to another format is reduced to a minimum, as the machine is automatically pre-positioned for makereadies. Unfolded signatures fed into the system are stitched and trimmed on three sides. It can handle a maximum thickness of 3⁄8˝ and can be ordered in combination with two pocket sections.

The new Stitch'n Fold BookletMaker from ISP Stitching & Bindery Products can jog, stitch and fold more than 65,000 booklets at a new maximum speed of 2,300 booklets per hour without stopping to reload staples. The stitching head is designed to increase productivity and reduce downtime. It can stitch and fold from two to 25 sheets of 20-lb. bond paper. A collator interface is now available for many brands of tower collators.

The Rosback Lynx SaddleBinder automatically collates, saddle stitches and three-side trims, delivering finished books at production speeds. The Lynx 724 is an all ball-bearing, four-pocket feeder that handles individual signatures or pre-inserted signatures. The stations hold up to 9˝ of stock, which can be loaded on-the-run. Additional pockets can be added in the future to the tower format.

Standard Finishing Systems' Horizon SpeedVAC-100 saddle stitching system, which includes a 10-station vertical suction collator, utilizes a rotary-pulse vacuum feeding system that delivers speed and productivity on nearly all paper stocks. The SpeedVAC is equipped with a touch-screen control console that provides ease of operation, advanced programming, system monitoring and error detection. The system can straight-stack more than 9,500 sheets per hour, handling sizes from 5.8x5.8˝ to 13.8x19.7˝.

The Perfect Solution

Saddle stitching isn't right for every job. Sometimes perfect binding is the only way to go.

Warren Fraser, manager of printing services at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, has been using Powis Parker's Fastback document binding system for about three years.

"We love it because we have a DocuTech, and so it's a way to get off-line tape binding when you are putting process color covers on," Fraser says. His in-plant uses the system for reports, course syllabuses and short-run color jobs. "The advantage of the Fastback over the DocuTech inline is that it will bind up to 11⁄2˝," Fraser notes.

Powis Parker's Fastback document binding system can produce professionally bound documents of up to 350 pages in length. Fastback binding is durable and allows documents to open flat. Spines can be titled quickly with the PowisPrinter.

Fastback isn't the only perfect binding solution, however, Here are some other options:

If you are looking to produce bound books and manuals in a limited space, Duplo offers the DB-250 Automated Desktop Perfect Binder. It produces up to 200 books per hour.

Rosback offers the 880 and 850 PerfectBinder systems. Each is a single clamp unit. The 880 mills and roughs books at 600 cph, while the 850 produces 250 books per hour.

Standard has expanded its line of desktop document finishing equipment with the introduction of the AccuBind document binding system. AccuBind produces a "lie flat" style book bind for 81⁄2x11˝ paper in a variety of widths. It produces up to 200 books per hour.